Heir of Obsidian (A Throne of Glass Fanfic)

18 - Well... Well... Well

We are so sorry for the late upload :) x

It felt slimy - a peculiar coating that one does not usually encounter unless one is thrown in a swamp, or down a well.

As its hands scraped up the stone sides, claws more than fingers now, it pulled its blackened form from its crooked position. The water lazily lapped at its legs; the long fall had been halted before the sinking depths of water by a slight caving of rock. It chuckled throatily. We are hard to kill and they have forgotten our might.

Then a curious sound echoed down the well, bouncing left to right as it reached it from the peaking bright surface of the well.

"Benj -ji! Ben -ji!"

The thing traced a claw around the full moon shape of the well's top, a tiny beacon above. And it moved its mouth, in an imitation of the townsfolk above. "Benji, Benji, Benji," it hummed to itself as it began to claw against the stone surrounding it . A smile curved its face as its blackened hand reached up to that lip of stone. The Valg moved up the side of the now roughened rock, ignoring the black blood dripping from the back of its skull and leg.

The blood dripped into the pure water below, in a growing, darkening swirl; the light shrinking slowly from its depth.

~~~

Quinn groaned. She hauled herself up, resting her tired body against the side of the hut. That is, until she felt the wood actually shift beneath her touch. She abandoned its wilting frame and was crouched on the floor assessing the bright pain in her back and on the back of her head. Gods that Valg had thrown her so hard. She blinked intermittently a few times, and deciding she didn't have a concussion, forced herself to move over to the poor person laying limply in the corner.

The woman was unconscious.

She decided that was a good thing, it was better than being a witness to what had occurred. Asterin, she glanced to briefly, was still slumped next to the man, forehead pressed to the blood caked ground. Quinn turned away. As much as she ached to hug her friend, she knew it would do no good.

Instead, she reached down towards the woman's slumped form, moving her slightly to judge her injuries. There was no blood on the woman's head but her breathing became shallow at the slight pressure Quinn had applied to her stomach to turn her over. A broken rib. Or possibly a few broken ribs. She tried to stay calm; the woman would be fine, surely. They just had to get her some help.

She looped her arms around the woman's shoulders and groaning somewhat lifted, shuffled, and dragged the woman onto the shaky, straw bed in the left corner.

"We have to get Luka. Asterin, this woman needs a healer." Quinn straightened, welcoming the adrenaline that strengthened her tender muscles. Asterin did not move. "This woman---the baby, needs a healer." Asterin again didn't move, didn't even seem to register that she was speaking. Quinn huffed. "This is what we came here to do!" She yanked Asterin's arm back from her bent over form, but let it go quickly as her hand became slick with blue blood.

Asterin did not move, did not even flinch as Quinn's hand touched the wicked slice that ran along her forearm and wrist. Her head remained bowed as she sat ignoring, no not ignoring, shut off from Quinn. She didn't know what had her friend acting like this. But I am fully aware we don't have time for this. She turned to the bed once again, eyeing the small movement of the woman's chest.

"You know I would have killed It. If you hadn't I would have. So stop it, stop blaming yourself or doing whatever you're doing." She knelt down. "It was a monster that attacked an innocent town, attacked a pregnant woman, Asterin. A pregnant woman which still needs our help." Placing a careful hand on her friend's stiff shoulder she gently pulled Asterin up to a kneeling position. "Hey, Live free - Die free." She forced Asterin to meet her eyes, forced her own expression to stay strong even though her anger was ebbing into panic as she took in the hollow shadows of Asterin's irises.